The RM of St. Laurent's preparing for a huge influx of visitors next weekend. The annual Metis Days festival takes place August Long Weekend, and Reeve Cheryl Smith says it's always an incredibly successful event. She says it's one of the biggest festivals to take place in St. Laurent, with 2 to 3 thousand people coming out for the mud bogging event each year. She notes while the festival has been taking place for generations, it's maintained it's success thanks to the hard work of volunteers, the Guy Lavallee Michif Local, and Former Lieutenant Governor Yvon Dumont and local professor and Lawyer Paul Chartrand.

"It's all kinds of unique stuff and that's where Yvon Dumont and Paul Chartrand shine because they just love that stuff and kind of take care of that aspect. They also have workshops this year, they're going to be doing workshops on square dancing and that kind of thing I believe. They're always thinking about what else they can do."

She notes traditional games, fiddling, dancing and several other activities take place throughout the weekend, adding it's always wonderful to see the hard work of the volunteers pay off. While the annual festival is always an exciting time for visitors and residents, Smith notes the businesses also see a healthy economic boost.

"Restaurants and the business owners around here, they feel the impact every year. People are always scrambling to see where they can rent a room. A lot of people open up their homes to family and friends. Others actually rent their rooms if they have any extra. There is a lot of camping, so Oak Point, the Shallow Point Campground, the local restaurant with rooms also has some camping. It's huge."

She notes they also get to see many familiar faces during the weekend, as former residents return each year to take in the festivities. St. Laurent's Metis Day Festivities kick off next Saturday and continue through the long weekend.